


Shiver

by GhostOfTasslehoff



Series: Kinktober 2018 [2]
Category: Dragonlance - Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
Genre: Almost Kiss, Fluff, Gen or Pre-Slash, Kinktober 2018, M/M, Medicinal Drug Use, Oblivious Flint, Pre Chronicles, Shotgunning, Sleepy Cuddles, Tasslehoff Has A Crush, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-24 13:29:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16176044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostOfTasslehoff/pseuds/GhostOfTasslehoff
Summary: When the weather turns cold, Flint turns to the leaf to ease his pain and help him sleep. Tasslehoff wants to try some. Flint obliges.





	Shiver

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Kinktober 2018, day five prompt ‘shotgunning’. No smut, just tooth rotting fluffiness, and one friend accidentally encouraging the other friend’s hopeless crush on him.
> 
> I do not own Dragonlance, Flint Fireforge, OR Tasslehoff Burrfoot, I’m just borrowing them.

It had gotten cold early that year, and Flint found himself unable to sleep more often than not, feeling the cold seeping into his very bones. Those were the nights when he turned to his pipe the most often; smoking while sitting beside the fireplace in his living room helped relax him and push warmth through his muscles, and eventually helped him fall asleep.

This was one of those nights. Tasslehoff had fallen asleep easily, like he usually did, and sometimes the old dwarf envied him that. This time, he was just grateful that Tas wasn’t awake to see how much pain he was in, because the chill wind rustling through the tree branches outside was enough to sear into him like a scythe, and it was difficult enough just to _move_. He had only just managed to get his weed to light, as shaky as his hands were, but light it had, and he settled the blanket around him more snugly as he puffed away. So lost was he in watching the fire crackle that he missed the low shuffle of feet into the room - at least until a soft, sleepy voice sounded behind him.

“Flint? What are you doing still awake?” Tas asked with a yawn, rubbing at his eyes. There was something adorable about the way he looked right then, clothes rumpled and hair falling messily around his face, that made Flint smile to himself.

“What does it look like?” he asked, blowing out smoke on every word.

“Smokin’,” Tasslehoff replied, looking a little confused. Flint chuckled quietly and patted the cushions next to him. “I woke up thirsty, and you weren’t in bed,” he added, words distorted around another yawn as he moved over to where Flint sat, sinking down into the cushions and cuddling into the dwarf’s side.

The un-self-consciousness of the act never failed to surprise Flint, and he glanced down at Tas’ hair with a trace of a smile on his face. At first, when Tas moved in, Flint had been _positive_ that the affection the kender showed was nothing more than a smokescreen designed to lull him into a false sense of security (right before he robbed him blind, of course), but as it turned out, Tas really _was_ just completely open and honest about who he chose to bestow his ‘affections’ on. Now, when Flint was having a particularly bad pain day, he didn’t feel quite so strongly about hiding it from Tas. And though he would never admit it out loud, Tasslehoff’s willingness to do little things to try and cheer him up on the worst days were quite a large source of comfort to him.

“You’re warm,” Tas murmured just then. He shivered a little when a strong gust of wind rattled the shutters, and then began tugging absently at the blanket. “And it’s cold out here.”

“Go get some water and then grab a blanket, you doorknob,” Flint responded, rolling his eyes and suppressing a smile.

“But I wanna share _yours_. It’ll be even warmer that way.” Aaaaaand great, now Tas was whining.

Flint shoved him away gently and said archly, “I thought you woke up thirsty.”

“Okay, okay, I’m going!” Flint just chuckled as Tasslehoff pulled himself up, shuffling into the kitchen to find a cup. It didn’t take him long, though there was surprisingly little in the way of clumsy clattering coming from the kitchen. Flint glanced back, considering, and decided that if Tas _really_ wanted to share his blanket, it wasn’t really _that_ big of a deal; he shifted a bit and unwrapped part of the blanket, making sure it was loose. _Stupid affectionate kender._

He stayed that way, puffing on his pipe, until Tas returned, carrying two cups full of cool water. “I’m back. Did ya miss me?” Tas asked, sounding a little more awake now.

“Why do you have two cups?” Flint asked, snorting and pointedly ignoring the question.

“Because you always get thirsty when you smoke,” Tas pointed out, setting the cups down and cuddling back into Flint’s side, wrapping the loose end of the blanket around himself. Yawning, he added, “I figured it made more sense to get you some now rather than wait for you to realize you were thirsty and make me get all cold again.”

“That was very far sighted of you.”

“Uh huh!” Tasslehoff chirped, looking up at Flint, seemingly oblivious to the dwarf's dry tone.

Flint arched one eyebrow at Tas and waited. The kender clearly had something on his mind, and sooner or later he'd probably blurt it out (because the words _Tasslehoff_ and ' _patience_ ' did not go together at _all_ )... but Flint continued to puff away until he couldn’t stand the silence anymore, finally asking, “Is there something you want to say, Tas?”

“Oh...” Tas gave him a sheepish grin and glanced at the pipe before gazing back up at Flint’s face. “I was... just wondering if I could try some of that?”

“I use it medicinally, not recreationally,” Flint pointed out. He was at the point now, thank goodness, where everything was a cozy, pleasant haze, and the question didn’t actually irritate him as much as it otherwise might have.

“I know... I just wanted to try a _little_ of it, not a lot. Can I? _Please?_ ”

Flint looked down at Tasslehoff, and immediately knew that he should have just said no and been done with it. The expression on the kender’s face was the most innocent, pleading thing he had ever seen, and he let out a disgruntled sigh. “You are _just_ trying to prove that you can get whatever you want when you wear that stupid expression, aren’t you?” he muttered, checking his pipe. “I only have a bit of this left. Have you ever smoked before?”

"Nope," Tas answered promptly, the beginnings of a hopeful smile on his face and expression brightening.

"Hmmph." Flint tapped a finger lightly to the bowl and frowned. "I don't want to waste this if there's a chance you're not going to like it. If you want to try it, I'm not giving you my pipe."

Tasslehoff beamed at him and announced, “I don’t mind! What do I do?”

“Nothing,” Flint said, rolling his eyes. _I guess he really does want to try it. Suppose I'll have to pull out the trick Helda showed me years ago..._ “ _I_ will do it.”

“Okay.”

Eyeing the kender critically, Flint said dryly, “And Tas... at least be ready to inhale. I’d _really_ rather not waste it.” He took one last large hit, holding the smoke in his lungs for a moment before bringing one hand up to carefully grip Tas’ jaw. The kender let out a startled squeak, true, but at least he seemed to get the hint right away, lips parting in anticipation and eyes widening. Flint couldn't help smiling in amusement before leaning in, lips just barely touching as he blew the smoke directly into Tas’ mouth - and the kender _did_ inhale sharply, eyes fluttering shut and a small sound escaping him. Though Flint couldn’t be sure what caused Tas’ full body shiver... or the moment of stuttered breathing. Or why it took so long for Tas to open his eyes again to look up at him, a contented smile spreading across his small face as he exhaled the smoke slowly.

“Are you satisfied with that little taste?” Flint asked. Tas let out a soft, pleased sound at that and nuzzled into his hand, bringing Flint’s attention back to the fact that he still had his fingers pressed against Tas’ jaw in a rather... _intimate_ way, letting his hand fall to his own lap, instead. Tas merely nodded, eyes falling half shut and another small shiver going through him before he cuddled even closer to Flint. “Well... I guess that’s good then.”

“Yeah... _very_ good,” Tas murmured, giggling softly. He reached out for a brief moment to wrap his fingers around Flint’s hand, squeezing affectionately as he added in a soft, happy voice, “Thank you, Flint.”

Well... _that_ wasn’t Tasslehoff’s usual reaction to new things. It made Flint feel like _he_ had missed something important, for once. But no matter. He was getting tired anyway. His voice was characteristically gruff as he slid one arm around Tas’ slender shoulders and said pointedly, “Good night, Tas. Get some sleep, you hear?”

“Mmhm,” Tas murmured, letting his eyes close completely now. “Night, Flint.” He made no move to get up, clearly content to fall asleep right where he was, nestled into Flint’s side. And Flint had to admit that _he_ didn’t really feel like moving, either. This arrangement _was_ pretty damn cozy.

 _Damned affectionate kender,_ was his last coherent thought before he drifted off to sleep.


End file.
